Dyslexic Heart
by StarsAreAMetaphor
Summary: It's been a few years since they graduated and now they're trying to make their way as adults. Santana, Brittany and Puck have always been an inseparable trio but when a huge secret comes out unexpectedly will they still be? Brittana & Puck/?
1. Chapter 1

Title: **Dyslexic Heart**

Characters: Brittany/Santana, Puck/? I did leave a few hints!, OCs

Rating: M - Puck and Santana swear like they get paid for it.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the CDs, DVDs and a McKinley Football sweatshirt I got on eBay.

A/N: A huge cyberhugs for Sassy26, im2looney, theanonymousbeta, jlz_1 and shannonphenix for all their help. You all rock my mismatched socks off!

_**"Dyslexic Heart" by Paul Westerberg is where I got the inspiration to write this fic. The lyrics explain the relationship between Puck/Brittany/Santana better than I ever could!**_

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><p>Santana sat in her car glaring at the well lit fraternity house where there was a party in full swing. Without her. The Beta Theta Pi house was always busy, especially on the weekends, with pledge activities as well as the standard drunken mess that was going on at the moment. She should have been in there getting unbelievably shitfaced but... not anymore. That part of her life was done and now she was going to have to buckle down, get serious, and several other annoying phrases her parents had used to voice their massive disappointment. Thankfully, Puck had agreed to meet her after she had practically bribed him with free food. The two hadn't spoken in nearly a month and as much as she hated to admit it, she really needed her jerk of a best friend now.<p>

After a quick text to Brittany she grabbed her keys to start the engine but halted at the sound of the passenger door opening. Seconds later the dome light turned on and someone sat beside her, a dark scowl crossed her face. "What the fuck do you want?" she asked her smirking companion. "I think you've done enough to derail my life you douche. Go back to your trust fund fratboys. I already told you I absolve you of any responsibility. Now get the fuck out of my car!" Santana snarled.

"Babe, you know you can't get enough of me!" he purred. "And as soon as you take care of our _mistake_ we'll get back to what we're good at, fucking. Oh, and next time bring your girl Brittany back. She has certain talents I've come to appreciate."

Santana continued to glare as the boy beside her kept talking, stroking her hair then leisurely grasped her breast. She pushed his meddling hand away and slapped his face with such force her palm began to throb. He reeled back then rubbed the spot on his cheek as his upper lip curled.

Before her brain could register it, a balled fist had connected with her nose and caused her head to ricochet off her side window. As the blood started to flow down Santana's face the boy clumsily opened the car door and began to walk quickly towards the loud party.

Moments later the dark hair girl groaned as she wiped her bloody face with her shirt sleeve. When her eyes began to focus on the the scene in front of her she could see that the coward who had broken her nose was running away. A deep growl started in the back of her throat as she began to steer it toward the frat house.

After she spit out the mixture clogging her throat she found her voice and let out a garbled yell, "You better run you asshole! You better run!"

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><p>If Puck was pissed when his phone rang three hours before he had to get up for the day then he was also a few seconds from furious when it wouldn't stop ringing. He answered it, launching into a string of expletives only to hear a voice asking him to come down to Lima General as soon as possible because Santana Lopez had been admitted to the E.R.<p>

He stormed into the hospital after breaking at least half a dozen laws trying to get there fast and demanded to know where she was. He still couldn't figure out why they called him of all people but he was more worried about his friend so he focused on scaring the nurses at the desk while he waited impatiently for information

After a security guard threatened to kick him out he paced on the well-worn carpeting until a man who identified himself as the surgeon who had operated on Santana found him. The older man explained that she had been in a severe car accident and she had listed Puck as the emergency contact on her medical ID card.

"Get to point, where the hell is she?" he demanded, "How bad is it and when the fuck can I see her?"

As the surgeon walked Puck to her room he explained the extent of the young woman's injuries, "When you see her you'll notice that she is hooked up to multiple machines that breathe for her, check her heart functions, and basically do all the work for her. We're letting them do everything so her body can focus on healing. She also received quite a few facial lacerations because of the severity of impact so don't be shocked, they honestly look much worse than they are. I'm quite optimistic for a quick recovery for the both of them."

Puck screwed up his face as he ramped up for a question but was stopped short when they walked into the stark white room. His eyes went wide when he saw her lying there motionless and damaged. The whole sight was so overwhelming that for a few minutes the only sounds he could hear were the whoosh of the ventilator and the beeping of monitors.

"Whoa. I never thought I'd fucking see Santana Lopez as anything but a force of nature," he said quietly, "She actually looks fragile and.. Shit. That is majorly fucked up."

The surgeon nodded his head, "When they brought her in she fought being put on the ventilator tooth and nail. We had to sedate her to get it done, although it did take a person on each limb to get the needle anywhere near her to insert the I.V. As a result of her prior hostilities we've had to keep her in a light coma since that point."

"Well, if it makes you feel better she broke my nose senior year," Puck retorted, "and I had only told her she looked hot. I don't even want to imagine how apeshit she went on you. In case you didn't know she hates needles and pretty much everything related to doctors."

"I'd have to agree with that assessment, Mr. Puckerman," the doctor nodded. "She did have rather good follow through on her connections despite her condition. We're going to try to wake her up tomorrow morning in the hopes that we can further assess her injuries."

Puck flinched, "Good luck with that. Also, I'd hate to see the other person if she looks this shitty."

The older man shook his head, "There was no other person involved in the accident. It was just Ms. Lopez's car hitting a student fraternity house over at OSU. The police will need to question her further since the owner of the house will likely bring charges against her."

None of that made any sense to Puck. Santana didn't just drive her car into shit for the fun of it. Brittany was always with her. Who was in that frat house that she was so pissed at? He knew way too much about her life to not remember her talking about some douchey frat boy that fucked her over. He would have totally held the dude's arms while she worked the belly just for giggles.

"Shit," he breathed, "that's pretty serious. I mean, I know she parties and all but smashing into some random house when she's trashed is fucked up even for her."

"That's one of our biggest concerns Mr. Puckerman and the main reason she's currently being watched extra carefully by our psychiatric staff." The doctor paused. "She wasn't chemically impaired when she crashed, not in the least."

Puck cocked his head to the side with a questioning look on his face. What the doctor was saying made absolutely zero sense. Santana Lopez would never drive her prized car into a house. Never. She had saved for over a year working at some greasy spoon to get it and so far only he and Brittany had been privileged enough to ride in it. She must have been fucking pissed at someone to do something that insane.

He got lost in an undertow of thoughts for a short time before he spoke again, "So is she gonna be okay? I mean she looks pretty jacked up."

"It may take a few weeks but with some physical therapy," the doctor began, "both she and the baby will be fine. We just need to take it day by day and focus on the gains they make."

When the older man saw Puck's jaw drop and remain agape he realized that he had dropped a huge revelation into the young man's lap. He immediately felt bad about it but knew it was necessary information. His patient was going to need someone stable enough to support her during her rehabilitation and convalescence but was this foul-mouthed kid the one? Only time would tell.

"I-I-I didn't know," he sputtered, "We were supposed to hang out tonight but I fuckin' bailed. We met at the diner she works at but when she started to talk about serious shit I just left. Damn it! She wouldn't have gone and done this shit if I had been with her. I went back, I did, but she had already left."

The surgeon shook his head, "Ms. Lopez is over twenty-one as well as a young woman who has never been in trouble with the police before. She made the decision to drive into that house by herself and you had nothing to do with that. Understand that young man? She is solely responsible for her current state."

Puck snarled, "Whatever. You don't fuckin' know how her twisted brain works. Half the shit she does is to get people's attention and if she gets hurt while all eyes are on her? Even better. Then they'll feel twice as bad for being an asshat to her. She pulled that shit on me more than once in high school."

"Unfortunately the fact that she's currently pregnant just added another level to her actions," he replied. "While I personally don't think she meant to do herself or the child any grievous harm she will have to undergo psychiatric counseling before she's released."

Obviously the doctors at this particular hospital had never experienced a patient like Santana _fucking_ Lopez and were going to be shocked six ways from crazy at the shitstorm she would let loose.

The younger man smirked, "You think she'll talk to a shrink? If you do then you're the one who's crazy. No way. She won't do it. She doesn't even trust her father and he's just a regular doctor. Good fuckin' luck buddy."

"I hope for her and the child's sake that you're wrong," Dr. Gale replied. "I sincerely hope that Ms. Lopez is completely dedicated to all aspects of her recovery and that she does everything her medical caregivers ask of her. Otherwise, I see her child being taken from her and she'll end up doing some jail time."

Puck ran his hands through his close cropped hair and exhaled loudly; things were starting to weight heavy on his mind. After getting a call from the hospital a few hours ago he thought his morning would be spent waiting for Santana to sleep off a bad party but now... _Fuck!_

"So if she doesn't do the shit you ask and jump through your hoops you're gonna take her kid and lock her up?" Puck asked as he chewed his lip.

Dr. Gale nodded. "That is the gist of it, Mr. Puckerman. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to complete my rounds. An ICU nurse will be in to check Ms. Lopez's vitals in a few minutes. If you'd like to sit with your friend there's a chair on the other side of the bed."

Puck extended his arm to shake the older man's hand. "Thanks, Doc. I'll just hang for a while and talk to her. I figure this might be the one time I don't get interrupted, right?"

Dr. Gale smiled as he shook the proffered hand, "You might be onto something, son. You'd better take advantage of that opportunity when it presents itself."

The morning shift staff arrived just as the doctor exited the room. The two groups exchanged a few pleasantries before Dr. Gale updated the incoming nurse with all of Santana's changes since her hurried admission. Puck gave a nod to the older woman as she entered the room then crossed in front off him to read her new patient's chart.

"I'm Barbara," she began. "I'll be in charge of Ms. Lopez's care for the next twelve hours." She flipped back and forth through the pages attempting to familiarize herself. "She's looking a lot better than she did last night," the nurse continued. "All her vitals are returning to a more acceptable range so they're hoping to wean her off the sedative. Fingers crossed she'll be awake and talking by dinner." After returning the clipboard to its place she gestured to the empty chair. "I suggest you sit down before you fall down. You look pretty rough, kid."

"Thanks." Puck snorted. "Been a rough night thanks to Sleeping Beauty over there." He flicked his eyes over to the bed he was trying not to look at.

He couldn't look at her because he felt guilty. Guilty because if he had been with her she wouldn't have done something so epically fucked up as crashing her car. Tool.

"It's okay to look at her, you know?" Barbara said suddenly. "You can sit down and talk to her too. You look like you have a lot to say." She continued to check the monitors while she wrote in her notepad.

"Uh yeah," Puck snorted. "We were at the diner tonight and when it got heavy I just walked out. I left her there." He stared at the machines that were helping her breathe as well as monitoring the rest of her systems. "Now she's here and she's hurt..." he trailed off.

The older woman patted Puck's back, "It's not your fault, kid," she said gently. "Ms. Lopez drove into that house on her own accord. She is lying in that bed because of decisions she made. Got it? She must have been royally pissed at someone in that house, though."

Puck finally gave up and sat down in the chair with a loud noise. "Yeah," he nodded. "Santana would never do anything that crazy unless she thought someone deserved it. But why would she fuck up her car to make a point?" Puck flinched when he realized that he had dropped the f-bomb in front of an adult, and a woman his mother's age at that! He was sure he'd have a voice mail from his all-knowing Mom when he got home. "Sorry about that."

Barbara laughed. "It's okay. I've heard a lot worse in my life, believe me. I do appreciate the thought." She playfully smacked his shoulder.

He shrugged it off with a smirk before he sunk further into the chair.

The nurse continued to take notes until she took a moment to check the time and note it as well.

"Okay," she said. "It's time for me to check on my other patients but there will be another nurse checking on Ms. Lopez in about half an hour. Just ask any questions you might have, okay?"

Puck nodded and gave her a small wave as she walked out of view. He fidgeted in the uncomfortable chair before scootching it closer to the bed and resting his head on his folded arms.

A few hours later when someone nudged his shoulder, the sleeping man woke up with a jump as well as some profanity laced yelling. He apologized almost immediately for his loudness and excessive arm waving after scaring an entire class of touring nurses. Puck stormed out of the room and continued to walk until he found the cafeteria. The nurse he had talked to earlier spotted him pouring a cup of coffee for himself and walked over to join him.

"Ms. Lopez should be waking up soon," she said in-between sips. " If you think you're up to it, I think you should be there. It's pretty disorienting when you come out of sedation."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I got my coffee to go then huh?" he smirked. "Let's go see if the princess is ready to open her eyes."

Santana had already started moving her head as well as fluttering her eyes when Puck walked into the room. He found his way over to the bedside chair after weaving through several nurses, doctors and orderlies.

Slowly, the dark haired girl started trying to move more but the confining criss-crossed restraints halted her. Her now wide open eyes surveyed the crowded room around her then slowly crept up her body to focus on the hardware in her mouth. When Puck saw her eyes flare he immediately grabbed her hand and tried to talk her out of the crazy plan he knew she was already formulating.

"San!" he barked. "Don't fight it! You were in a crash and you're at the hospital. Just stop fighting and they can tell you what's going on." Puck grabbed both of her fisted hands and moved his face in close to hers. "The baby is fine, San," he added, his voice now lowered to a whisper. "Now cut this shit out because it's not good for either of you."

Santana immediately stopped her thrashing to stare at him. "Yeah, I know," he continued to whisper. "So calm the fuck down and they'll take the shit out of your face and untie you. Got it?"

Huge tears started to stream down Santana's cheeks when it finally sunk in what her friend had said. When the nurses realized that the young woman was started to struggle against the tube in her throat they quickly removed it. A filled cup with a straw was immediately held in front of her to drink from. She sputtered a few times but stopped as soon as the cool water hit her dry mouth.

"C-c-can you call Britt?" she choked out. "I was going to her house when..."

Puck shook his head vigorously. "She's gonna freak, San!" he hissed. "Your face is totally fucked up and you have IVs and shit in your arms. She's. Gonna. Freak."

"Fuck you, Puckerman," she half whispered. "Call my girlfriend or I will fucking end you." Santana continued to glower at him until he threw his arms up in the air in protest.

Their conversation was interrupted by a pair of nurses unzipping the contraption that was holding Santana down. "Sir, you're going to need to leave for a few minutes while we assess Ms. Lopez's current condition. She also needs to remain as calm as possible. Do you understand?" one said curtly.

"Fine. Whatever," he grunted. He looked back to the still glaring girl. "San, I'll go call her but you owe me. Big time." He turned to leave but spun around again to address the nurse. "And ma'am, if she needs to be slapped I'm just the asshole to do it." Puck fished his phone out of his back pocket and began to dial his phone as he walked out of the room.

It only took a ring and a half before Brittany answered her phone in a panic. She started talking full tilt until Puck interrupted her and utilized his most effective distraction technique when it came to dealing with the blonde; he started singing one of her favorite Disney songs. It wasn't long before Brittany joined in and she continued to sing another verse until she stopped mid chorus.

"Where is San?" she asked quietly. "She said she was coming home last night and she never did. Did she sleep over at your apartment?"

Puck flinched when he heard the sadness in his friend's voice. He knew that the pair had an open relationship, but there had been a few jealous spats because of past liaisons and it was clear from the hurt in her tone that Brittany thought they had deliberately excluded her.

"B," he said gently. "You know there's nothing going on between me and your girl. I got my own girl to drive me batshit crazy. And she didn't stay at my house because you weren't there, and that's the deal the three of us had, right?"

Brittany paused for a moment, "You don't know where she is? Puck! She didn't come home and..."

"Britt," he interrupted. "I'm here with her at the hospital and she was asking for you. But before you come down here I need you to promise something."

Brittany began to make soft snuffling noises as tears welled up in her eyes. "I-i-is she okay?" she stuttered.

"Yeah, Britt," he said as he exhaled. "Her face is pretty jacked and she feels like shit but she's good." He struggled to think of something to make the mood lighter. "I hear she clocked an EMT when they loaded her in the ambulance. Even when she's down for the count she's the same hard-ass we love."

He could hear the blonde let out a small giggle in between her tapering sobs. "San hates needles. Hates them so much." Brittany murmured.

"Believe me, I know that," he laughed. "So Britt? I need to you to get down here. San needs you. You just gotta promise you won't freak when you see her, okay?"

Brittany gasped loudly, "Is the baby okay? Please say the baby is okay!"

Puck blinked a few times then exhaled loudly before he answered. "You knew that Santana was pregnant and you didn't tell me? What the fuck Britt!"

For the next few minutes the only sounds he could hear from the girl on the other side of phone were apologetic words in between gasps and sobs. He attempted to apologize to her but his nerves were so frayed that nothing seemed to come out right. It finally got to a point where he knew he couldn't take anymore and he was starting to feel guilty. He decided that he might be forced to play his trump card and bribe her.

Puck clenched his jaw. "Britt," he growled lowly. "I'm sorry. The baby is fine." When she kept crying he changed tactics and he began to plead. "Please, Britt. Please don't cry. Just come down here to see San and I'll buy you all the candy you want. Okay?"

"You'll even pick out the red M&M's for me?" she asked meekly. "San always eats the red ones 'cause they're her favorite."

Arguing with the normally bubbly blonde was giving him the beginnings of a headache. He rubbed his temple a few times before he quietly replied to her request.

"Yes, Britt." he said deliberately. "I'll take the red ones out so San can eat them. So _now_ will you come down here?"

She sniffed a few times as she listened. "First you have to promise you won't be mad at me, or San. Promise."

Puck exhaled loudly. He was furious with the both of them for keeping a secret this huge from him. In addition to being Santana's best friend, he was Brittany's motocross coach as well as her head mechanic, so trust was vital. She was ridiculously talented at racing so he left that side of the job up to her while he took care of the money and rest of the technical things.

"Ugh. Fine. You win." he conceded. "Just get your ass down here before she kicks mine."

"Yay!" Brittany cheered as she fumbled her phone. "I'll grab my helmet and be there super quick."

"Be careful with that construction over on Elm," he ordered. "I just fixed your goddamn bike again! I don't need to have that shit on my mind plus Santana."

"Puck, I'm awesome. You don't need to worry about me," she giggled.

"Whatever," he replied. "I'll meet you in the lobby in ten. Bye Britt."

"Bye Puck. Don't forget my candy!"

Before he could give her a clever reply he heard only silence on his phone. "Damn," he mumbled to himself. "I'm losing my touch."

He turned his phone to silent and trudged back to Santana's room to let her know he had done what she had asked. No more threats and a simple "thank you" would be nice but Puck wasn't holding his breath. He knew the girl better than anyone on the planet so when he heard yelling as he got closer to his destination he also knew it had to be her.

**_Fuck. Me._**

"Why do you have to take blood?" she boomed. "I told you that I'm fine. I feel fine! Get that shit away from me now!"

He quickly rounded the corner and crossed the threshold to see Santana struggling with several nurses, one with a syringe in particular.

"Ms. Lopez," replied the nurse. "We need to get a blood sample so we can check for any infection. We also need to do vaginal exam with an ultrasound to see how the fetus is responding to the care you've received."

"Puck!" Santana pleaded. "You gotta get these bitches off me!"

Puck shook his head, "I know for a fact you don't wanna get buckled into that straight-jacket shit again so..." He leaned in close so only she could hear him. "Suck it up and don't be such a little bitch, Lopez. Your girl is on her way and you don't want her to see you strapped to the bed, do you?"

"So did you call your girl, Puck?" she shot back. "You know she's got your balls hidden somewhere in a tastefully bedazzled box. Who's the little bitch now Noah?"

Santana had gone for the jugular and mentioned his girlfriend. The two girls were far from best friends so when the couple became "official" he had told her that his girl was off limits.

Puck stood up then threw his arms in the air in disgust. As he began to walk away from her he stopped a moment and turned back towards her.

"So because you're down your gonna fuckin' try to drag me down with you?" he seethed. "I don't fuckin' think so. I sat with you all night you ungrateful bitch. I called your girlfriend. Now you're gonna pull this shit? Whatever. I can't deal with you when you're like this. You call me when you pull your head out of your stupid ass."

An unnoticed Brittany stood in the doorway with her jaw nearly touching the floor.

"Puck! You go back over there and apologize for yelling at poor, hurt Santana!" she commanded. "And Santana you apologize for breaking your promise. Do it,you two!"

She glared at both of them intently with her hands on her hips as she walked closer. When she stood next to the bed one hand automatically went to calm herself as well as her girlfriend. When Santana saw the small gesture, she reached out her hand so she could lace their fingers together.

"I thought I was meeting you downstairs, Britt?" Puck asked.

The blonde growled while she gestured with her head between Santana and Puck to reaffirm that she was serious about her earlier statement.

Santana curled her upper lip and groaned. In part because everything still hurt but mostly because she knew that look; the look when her girlfriend would not back down until she got what she wanted and make her feel guilty all at the same time.

"Fine. I'm sorry Puck." Santana grumbled.

"Sorry San." he replied quickly.

The nurse who had been impatiently waiting for the conversation to wrap up decided it was a good time to interrupt.

"Excellent." she said in a sing-song voice. "Now that everyone has made up it's time for Ms. Lopez's examination. You two are going to have to leave now. Thirty minutes as least. Thank you."

Brittany nodded solemnly. She peppered Santana's face with gentle kisses while she whispered soothing words,then grabbed Puck's hand and led him out into the hallway.

"Okay. Now let's go get my candy while we wait for Santana." she chirped.

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><p><em><strong>AN 2: **_This is the first time I've written Brittana and I would appreciate any concrit regarding their characterization. Please take a moment to comment/review. It's what writers live for!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: **Dyslexic Heart**

Characters: Brittany/Santana, Puck/? I did leave a few hints!, OCs

Rating: M - Puck and Santana swear like they get paid for it.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the CDs, DVDs and a McKinley Football sweatshirt I got on eBay.

A/N: A huge cyberhug to Sassy26 (Check out her fic! She's awesome.) for beta-ing this on the fly. You rock. A wink and a hug to Val. You know why.

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><p>Santana groaned as she watched Puck and Brittany leave her room. Without their craziness, she suddenly realized that her body ached everywhere and that the itching underneath her skull would soon become a wicked migraine. The one thing she really wanted to do was avoid the additional pain, so returning to sleep was next on her agenda. After a quick rub to the back of her head she carefully shifted in her bed trying to find a position that created the least amount of discomfort. Unfortunately, the medical staff currently milling about her room had different plans for her immediate future.<p>

A booming voice interrupted her endeavors, "Ms. Lopez? We just need to an internal exam and get a heart monitor set up, then we can get out of your hair and you can get back to sleep."

Santana glared at the nurse. She had hoped the loud arguing they had heard earlier would have derailed their plans. Evidently, she was wrong.

Two nurses on either side of the bed pulled her covers down, carefully avoiding her suspended leg and started to talk her through what setting up the hardware would entail, where they would place the sensors on her waist and how they would attach them. She gingerly reached for a pillow as she tried to settle back into her bed, adjusting her gown for easier access.

With a quick nod of her head, Barbara, who Puck had introduced to Santana earlier, had the extra staff clear the room. It was apparent that her patient had been through enough and didn't need the added embarrassment of a personal exam with an audience.

"Is there anything we can do to help make you more comfortable before we continue?" Barbara whispered. "I promise we're gonna go as quickly as we can. We just want to listen to your baby's heartbeat and see how your internal injuries are healing."

Santana chewed her lip as she replied under her breath, "Can you just tell me what you're doing? I've never been, um..."

"It's a lot like your yearly gyno exam," Barbara said as she propped up Santana's uninjured leg. "at least the pap smear part. We'll be using the speculum so we can get a good view of your cervix to check for injuries they might have missed in the ER, then use a swab to make sure there's no infection."

Santana ran her hands across the slight convex curve between her hips, "And it's not dangerous or anything?"

"Nope," Barbara said as she hook her head. "Both of you are better off if we find an infection or injury when it's still manageable. After a traumatic crash like the one you were in we have to be very diligent with every detail and make sure we didn't miss anything."

As much as Santana didn't want to admit it she was scared shitless on multiple levels. The idea that someone was now totally dependent upon her and that every choice she made effected them? Most frightening thing she had experienced so far in her life. The thoughts of labor and how her body would keep changing weren't exactly things that made her happy either but she knew she could at least have some control over them. Her Cheerios exercise regimen would be strictly adhered to once she delivered and as for the pain of actually doing the delivery? No problem. She already planned on being knocked out for that!

As the exam started Santana closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. This irritation would be part of her life for the next few months so she'd have to get used to it. It wasn't as if she could ignore what was going on below her waist, she was already starting to show. The people she knew would notice any minute now and ask too many questions, that she was confident of. Her parents were mortified when they found out she was pregnant so they had offered to send her off to visit her aunt in France. They also refused to speak of "it" ever again so every conversation she had with them now was comprised of neutral or meaningless subjects, like how her father was going to be accepting a teaching position in a few months.

"Ms. Lopez?" Barbara asked. "We're done with the exam. Now we just need to get the monitor on you. It'll just take a minute or two once we get the sensors in the right spot. Easy peasy."

Santana smirked.

Barbara blushed as she giggled, "Yeah, I actually said easy peasy in reference to a medical procedure. So let's get this done and Ms. Lopez can get at least a small nap in before her friends come back."

Just as she was promised, Santana was swiftly hooked up to the necessary machine and a rapid thumping noise filled the room. She blinked a few times when she realized what the sound actually was, soon followed by a loud gasp and falling tears. She used the hem of her gown to wipe her cheeks at first but was quick to grab the tissues that were offered to her. The whole experience had overwhelmed her so soon the steady stream from her eyes became a torrent.

The full body weeping continued until loud beeps interrupted the intense moment.

"Okay, Ms. Lopez" Barbara said firmly, "Your baby is picking up on your stress and her heart is beating a little too fast right now. I need you to zero in on your breathing to calm yourself down and the beeping will stop."

Santana nodded, screwed her eyes shut and struggled to take slower and more deliberate breaths. She tried to focus like she knew she could but it was proving difficult with the auditory mayhem around her. Moments later she could feel a pair of warm hand squeezing her hands and whispering gentle encouragement to help allay her rampant anxiety.

"Thank you," she squeaked. "I needed that."

Barbara chuckled as she kept squeezing up Santana's arms. "It's what I'm here for, Ms. Lopez. And I'm very glad I could help. Now let's concentrate on that wonderful sound that's beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings. Gorgeous sound, isn't it?"

Santana opened her eyes bit by bit until she fixated on the machine next to her, watching its' gauges and numbers. "It is the best fucking thing I heard all day," she breathed out.

The three nurses laughed at the drowsy girl's very candid reply.

"Okay, Ms. Lopez we've gotten everything done we need to and you can get that sleep you wanted." Barbara replied. "I'll be back in an hour but you can push the button next to your bed anytime you need anything, okay?"

Santana nodded her head as she slowly pulled the blankets up and her breathing became more measured. Moments later she exhaled loudly as she drifted off, oblivious to anything beyond the four walls of her hospital room.

When Brittany and Puck saw that the door to Santana's room was shut they quietly opened the door. Brittany sighed when she saw that her girlfriend was sleeping soundly and making the little snuffling noises she loved but Santana denied she made.

"Thank fuck she's asleep," Puck groaned. "She's annoying when she feels like shit. How much you wanna bet they had to use a horse tranq on her?"

Brittany glared at Puck as he slouched in a nearby chair. The relationship between the two most important people in her life made no sense at all to her. Santana and Puck said hurtful things about each other, fought most of the time but were still affectionate. Her feelings toward them were much more straight forward; she made sure to tell both every day that she loved them with all sincerity because that's how she was raised. Her parents told her that it was important to tell the person you loved how you felt because you never knew when they'd be gone.

"Say it, Puck!" Brittany commanded. "She's hurt and you're laughing at her."

Puck started a snarky comeback but stopped short when he heard the sound that had scared Santana so much. His eyes widened at the put a finger over his lips to shush the girl who had just reprimanded him.

"Britt," he murmured. "can you hear that? Shit! That's Santana's baby! Am I the only one who is starting to fucking panic?"

Brittany paused for a moment to try to figure out what Puck was talking about. She could hear people talking out in the hallway, cars honking outside in traffic and then there was a fast thumping that was filling up her ears.

"Isn't that too fast for a baby?" Brittany wondered out loud. "Why is it so fast, Puck?"

She started to chew her bottom lip as she stared the the thing making such a ruckus. It was making her nervous that something was wrong, should it really be _that _quick? The whole thing was just so strange that Santana had a very small person inside of her and it was being so loud.

Puck shrugged. "I have no idea but it's what they're supposed to do. Seriously, don't get your panties in a twist and make yourself sick like that one time. I fucking love you Britt but I'm not cleaning up puke."

"Quit giving my girl shit Puckerman," croaked Santana. "C'mere, B. I sleep better when you're next to me."

Santana moved with care to the edge of the bed to make room. She patted the bed a few times when she saw the concerned look on Brittany's face. "It's just something so we can hear the heartbeat. S'okay Britt. Just lay down so I can get back to sleep again before they come to check on me again."

Brittany warily slid in next to the other girl as the big spoon, "I'm so sorry, San. We didn't mean to wake you up." she whispered. "I promise I'll make it up to you when you get home."

"S'okay Britt," Santana mumbled. "Sleep sleep."

Puck chuckled as he rummaged around the room trying to find a blanket. "Sweet dreams, San. Sweet dreams, Britt."

Unfortunately their much needed sleep didn't last long because it was interrupted by a shrill voice not long after they had finally drifted off.

"Santana Maria Lopez! If it wasn't enough you had to embarrass us by making us premature grandparents we had to receive a phone call from the police telling us about all your drunken escapades." her mother snarled.

Brittany stood between Santana and Mrs. Lopez with a stern look on her face. She was not going to let her girlfriend get stressed out. It wasn't good for the injured girl and it was even worse for the baby.

"You need to go Mrs. Lopez," she ordered. "San needs to sleep and relax as much as possible. You being here isn't helping her to do either."

Puck opened his eyes when he heard the commotion. A showdown between family hardly a new concept to him but he had to admit, the Lopez family knew how to fight dirty.

"Brittany Pierce," Mrs. Lopez barked. "Get out of my way. I've known your parents longer than you've been alive and I'm quite sure you don't want me to call them. They would be quite unhappy if they knew you were trying to keep me away from my daughter."

Puck couldn't help but snort, loudly, causing all three women to turn their heads to glare at his response. He knew that it was going to be a fight to get Santana some much needed relief but she was worth it; not that he'd tell her that.

"Seriously," Puck snickered. "Your daughter has an epically fucked up leg, probably feels like shit after the night she's had and hasn't slept much so you're just gonna have to leave or I'll get security in here to stop you from accosting a patient."

Claudia Lopez knew she was a woman of standing in the community, so the fact that this rude greasemonkey was challenging her authority was making her blood boil. What was adding insult to injury was that she knew the little punk would actually follow through with his threat.

With a clenched jaw she looked back to her daughter, "Our lawyer will be calling you Santana," she said. "Be prepared to redeem yourself young lady. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly Mama," Santana bit out. "I understand you perfectly. I'll let you know when they release us from the hospital. Us, being my baby and I. And by the way, Mama, the baby is doing just fine. Thank you for asking."

"You're giving it up and we won't talk about it ever again." Mrs. Lopez commanded. "Your father and I have worked too hard to get where we are and I refuse to let your indiscretion drag us down. If you had wanted our attention Santana you should have just asked for it."

Brittany pushed the red call button connected to Santana's bed, deliberately holding it up for everyone in the room to see. She didn't want to anger her girlfriend's mother but she needed to protect Santana. It hurt her to see someone she loved so much in pain and wanted it to stop.

"You go Britt!" Puck cheered. "And now Mrs. Lopez, we wait for backup. Do you really want to get forcibly escorted from your daughter's hospital room? I'd really hate to see that article in the society pages, wouldn't you? It'd make you look shitty if you were seen yelling at your pregnant and injured child."

Santana wiped the tears from cheeks. "You need to leave, Mama. Now."

Just as Mrs. Lopez began to reply, Dr. Gale walked briskly through the door, "Ms Lopez?" he asked. "Your call button was activated. Are you experiencing any post operative pain?"

Santana used her sleeve to wipe her face again. "No. Just my mother being a pain in the ass," she said brokenly. "Evidently I'm a huge embarrassment and now that she's told me that to my face she was going to get back on her broom."

"San!" Brittany chastised. "Being mean back never helps anything. Please." She frowned as she sat on Santana's bed. It was all becoming too much; all the crying, yelling and anger. She needed to hold her girlfriend's hand to try to ground herself because she had to be strong. It wouldn't help anyone if she started crying too.

Dr. Gale looked at Mrs. Lopez then pointed to the door. "You're going to leave now." he stated. "Please call ahead of you'd like to return."

Mrs. Lopez glared at her daughter one last time then left as abruptly as she arrived.

Puck immediately stood up and shook the doctor's hand with a grin on his face. "Thanks. I know she's Santana's mother but she also happens to be a complete bitch. Sorry San."

Santana burst out laughing, "Not completely new information. Thanks Puckerman."

"Glad to help Mr. Puckerman." Dr. Gale replied. "Ms. Lopez? Good to know you're doing better. You gave us quite a scare in the ER last night. I'll be back tomorrow to check your stitches and see how you're doing. I hope the rest of your visits are much more enjoyable."

Santana nodded as she returned his wave. "Thank you sir," she mumbled. "I appreciate the backup."

Brittany nudged Santana's shoulder. "So you wanna know what kind of candy Puck got me? I'll share." she giggled.

Puck reached in his pocket, pulled out a paper bag and shook it back and forth. He wiggled his eyebrows a few times then thew the bag up in the air and caught it again. After a few tosses between his hands he threw it to Brittany.

Brittany opened the bag slowly then showed it to Santana.

"You are so predictable, B!" Santana laughed. "But Dots are your favorite. You sure you wanna share?"

Brittany reached in the bag, pulled out a red colored candy and put it in between her teeth. She grinned as wide as she could as she leaned over to kiss her girlfriend.

"Ugh. Really?" Puck groaned. "You guys are gonna start that shit in front of me with the knowledge that I can't join in anymore? Rude. Totally rude."

Santana broke the kiss as she sat back to finish eating the sweetness Brittany had shared. She pulled her girlfriend closer as she laced their fingers together and placed them on her abdomen.

"Britt and I were talking about how you should move back into the house," Santana divulged. "It's too big without you there and..."

"We need you!" Brittany interrupted. "You make sure we get things fixed and you yell at us when we don't clean up after ourselves. And you mother always brought over food. I really miss that."

"So you both need me? Or just Brittany and her stomach?" Puck asked with a smirk.

Santana scowled as she chewed her lip. Her eyes went back down to where her hand lay intertwined with Brittany's but she didn't reply to his question. She needed him back because she was scared of how her life was changing and he made her feel safe. She needed him back because he genuinely loved her because of and despite of who she was.

Puck and Brittany both saw the increasing frown on Santana's face as well as the tears threatening to spill again in her eyes. Brittany moved nimbly to hug the other girl as Puck was soon on the opposite side of the bed doing the same.

They sat there quietly for a few moments before Puck spoke, "For fuck's sake don't cry, San. You know I end up doing _nice_ shit when you do that. Nice shit like agreeing to things you ask me to do."

"Thanks," Santana whispered into his ear. "We do need you. I'm kinda scared with all the shit that's happening and I really need my best friend's help. I'll even say please if I have to."

Puck smirked at both girls. "Fine," he conceded. "My mom just wanted me to move home to get Hannah to straighten up anyway. Little punk was skipping and almost failing out. Now she's in those advanced classes and getting college credit."

Brittany covered a grin with her free hand. "See? That proves you're actually a good influence."

"Don't tell him that Britt!" Santana groaned. "His ego is huge as it is and telling him that will just make it worse."

"You love my huge..."

Santana covered Puck's mouth before he could finish. She shook her head a few times as she stifled her laughter. It had been a long time since she had laughed this much in a day and it felt good. She was in a hospital, in pain, but having a memorable day with two of her favorite people on the planet.

"This is so much fun!" Brittany said as she clapped. "I really missed this. Please will you move back in with us, Puck?"

"Please?" Santana mouthed.

Puck got up from the bed and threw his arms in the air. "Fine. It's obvious you need a man back in your lives." he bellowed. "l'lI make the sacrifice and move back. I can't deny you of my awesomeness any longer."

Brittany pretended to fan herself with her hands while she howled as Santana just rolled her eyes. Puck kept doing old school muscle men poses to try to make them laugh harder.

Brittany jumped off the bed to mimic the boy's movements and as Santana sat there watching, she tried to think back to how she got to be sitting in a hospital bed, pregnant and hurt.

She remembered how good things used to be between the three of them before everything went to shit. It started to unravel about six months ago when she was studying for finals and her father refused to write her another prescription, saying that she needed to be diagnosed with something to keep using them. He hadn't cared what she had shoved in front of him to sign but after a kid at her university had jumped off a building while drugged out of his mind, he had been over cautious.

Since Santana was resourceful she had found a guy near campus who sold what she wanted to buy. He was in the brother frat to her sorority so she sort of trusted him. The trip took two buses and a transfer to get there but she needed it. She had to pass all her finals with the highest grade possible if she had any hope of getting into the junior law classes she needed.

Brittany and Puck stopped what they were doing when they realized that Santana had started crying again.

"San?" Brittany whispered. "What's wrong? Does something hurt?"

"Lemme push the button." Puck volunteered. "I'll get that guy up here again."

Santana shook her head vigorously then sat quietly sobbing until she could could speak. "I'm just glad we're all back together, okay?" she choked out. "My life's been pretty much shit for a while and I just can't fucking take it anymore. Me getting jacked up was the last of it. I'm done with it. Done."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN2: Thank you for taking the time to read! I appreciate it very much. If you liked/disliked it please leave me a comment to let me know. I'm new at Brittana and need all the help I can get!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Title: **Dyslexic Heart**

Characters: Brittany/Santana, Puck/Rachel, OCs

Rating: M - Puck and Santana swear like they get paid for it.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the CDs, DVDs and a McKinley Football sweatshirt I got on eBay.

A/N: A huge cyberhug to HBIC - Santana (Check out her Glee fics! She's awesome.) for beta-ing this on the fly. You rock. A wink and a hug to Val. You know why.

* * *

><p>Brittany and Santana lay sprawled across their bed with their arms wrapped around each other. Puck had brought the dark haired girl home just the day before, while her girlfriend had been out of town at a motocross race. It was the first time in quite a few days that both young women had slept well.<p>

"I'm so glad you're home,"Brittany whispered. "It was too quiet around here with just Puck. Our bed is just too big for only me. I really missed you."

Santana kissed Brittany's forehead, pulling the other girl closer. Her leg was still on the mend, she had gained some weight while in the hospital and her clothes were getting snug, but she was happier than she had been before the accident. She felt safe with Brittany and Puck nearby and running interference between herself and the outside world. Her parents' calls were easily declined with a push of a button, Graham and his frat boy friends had quit harassing her, and Puck had gotten a buddy to fix her car for dirt cheap. If only she could get rid of the feeling that it wouldn't last for too long.

"It's good to be home,"she said with a sigh. "I've been sitting on my ass in that place for too long, and all I want to do is sleep. I know I should be at the gym doing my physical therapy, but I'd rather be here with you."

Brittany's jaw dropped as her eyes got wide, "You're skipping a doctor's appointment?"she gasped. "You can't do that! Don't they still send the bill to the insurance company? We can't afford it right now."

"I'm going back to work soon and Puck's back, so we're fine if I skip one,"Santana soothed. "Besides I'm supposed to be resting as much as possible, so that's what I'm doing today. I'll just call and tell them I was puking or something."

"I don't like it when you lie, Santana," Brittany said as she frowned. "And you gotta take care of yourself so you get better and then you can take care of the..." She paused for a moment before taking her hand to gently push up her girlfriend's shirt to expose the small belly that had just become obvious. She smiled, splaying her fingers wide to span almost across the entire top of Santana's abdomen.

"You're gonna make me cry,"Santana whispered. "I just want to be happy right now, Britt. Can't we just forget the other shit and just be happy?"

Brittany began to talk, but stopped when she felt a push under her palm. She looked up to see Santana's jaw slack, and the confused girl started blinking over and over again.

"W-w-what the fuck?"Santana stuttered. "That was insane! I've never felt it that strong before. Britt! That was the baby."

"Wow! That was our baby moving inside of you San." Brittany said with awe. "I mean, in my head I know that there's a baby and now that you're getting bigger I can see that you are but.."

"I know,"Santana blurted. "I just forget sometimes that I am and that it's real, but when I saw the heartbeat on that monitor in the hospital? It just hit me that there's a baby inside of me and it's gonna get bigger and then it has to come out and I have to take care of it. Forever."She looked to see the shocked look on her girlfriend's face and burrowed her face in her pillow. "Ugh. I am seriously babbling like Berry now,"she mumbled.

Brittany pulled Santana closer. "No, no, no!"she insisted. "It totally makes sense to me. It's just a weird thing to get used to, you with a baby. We have to think of a name for a person, San! A name is a really big deal so we really need to pick the right one."

"Shouldn't we wait until we see the kid first?" Santana said quietly. "You don't wanna give a kid the wrong name, that would suck. At my checkup I'm getting one of those scan things, so maybe we can find out if it's a boy or a girl first."

"What do you think it is?" Brittany whispered. "My Mom said she knew that Madison and I were gonna be girls."

Santana shrugged, "I'm still just getting used to the fact that it's there. Right now I just want it to be healthy, I guess. I can't think any further than that."

Brittany lay a tender kiss on Santana's forehead, "It's okay. We don't have to talk about it right now,"she soothed. "So what about lunch? I'm pretty hungry."

"But the kitchen is all the way downstairs," Santana moaned. "And we'd have to get out of this warm bed and stop snuggling."

"Now you're just teasing me!" Brittany said as she rolled her eyes. "Just because I said that when we were on that ski trip last year." She pouted as she rolled out of her girlfriend's arms and climbed out of bed. "You know I had been on the slopes all morning and almost broke my leg on that black diamond. I was just tired and achy and wanted to spend some time with you."

Santana pointed to the immobilizer on her leg, "It's a pain in the ass to walk Britt,"she snapped. "I wasn't trying to be mean."

The blonde's eyes welled up with tears while her bottom lip started to shake. Her girlfriend hadn't been home a full day and they were already fighting. She was trying her best to take care of Santana because she loved her, but why was had it been so hard lately?

"I-I'm sorry San!" Brittany sobbed. "I'll j-just go."

"Britt! Don't leave me!" Santana begged. She watched in vain as Brittany ran out of their room and heard her footsteps going down the stairs. After struggling to stand and failing miserably, she fell back into the bed with a loud growl.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." she wailed. "Brittany! Please come back!"

* * *

><p>Cleared from bed rest, it was Santana's first day back at work in what felt like forever. After three weeks in the hospital followed by even more time at home on light bed rest, she was more than ready to be back at the diner and making money. Her first week home had been just short of blissful, but a dark cloud had settled over her disposition. A short text from her mother that morning reiterating her utter disappointment simply brought her fears, anger, and frustration to the surface.<p>

While an occasional break from things was nice, she realized being forced to be immobile for so long had given her a wicked case of cabin fever, and very recently a piss-poor attitude. Brittany had tried to keep her girlfriend's spirits up by having movie nights, making her favorite foods and visiting her in the hospital as much as she could, but nothing seemed to relieve the building stress. The only time she seemed to be truly at peace was when she was sleeping, but over the last few days that didn't come without effort.

"So I'll pick you up at ten?" Puck asked. He had insisted on driving her to work after he found her hunched over the toilet earlier. She had tried to explain it away as nerves, but he wouldn't listen.

"Yeah, unless there's stragglers," she retorted. "You want me to bring you home one of those chili cheese burgers? I think Bobby's working tonight. He knows how to make them messy enough for you."

Puck's mouth immediately hung open and he licked his lips. "Stop making me love you more Lopez." he chuckled. "Rachel might get jealous."

Santana rolled her eyes as she clumsily got out of the car. "Yeah, Puck." she mumbled. "Since I have such a fuckin' awesome life. Stupid brace still on my knee, knocked up, and starting to waddle."

"Shit yeah you do!" he sputtered. "You have an awesome girlfriend who adores you and a hot as hell roommate whose mother just brought over your favorite dessert. What more could you want?"

Santana didn't reply, but shut the door loudly behind her and began to walk away from the car. As soon as she reached for the handle, several loud honks made her whip back around.

"You forgot to say good bye. Gimme a kiss." Puck bellowed. "Did you think I'd leave without that? Nope." He began drumming his fingers on the door impatiently until he saw her nostrils flare, that was not a good sign.

Santana shot him a death glare as she put her fists on her hips. She hobbled back to the car and leaned in through the open driver's side window with her jaw clenched. Puck just smirked at her obvious anger.

"Holy mother of fuck!"she said under her breath. "Why the fuck are you being so clingy? I'll be home in like eight hours with your goddamn burger and you can do whatever the fuck you want to me. Okay?"

Puck shook his head. "You know I promised her I wouldn't fool around with you or Britt once we started dating," his eyes scanned the parking lot as he spoke. "Shit. You know I'm just worried about that asshole showing up here. He and that gang of douche-nozzles come here all the time, you know that."

Santana leaned back to run her hands over her unmistakable belly a few times, adjusting her too tight shirt. "Yeah and he's the fucking reason I'm as messed up as I am right now,"she growled. "Damn it! Way to remind me how fucking much I hate my life at the moment. You are a complete asshole and you know my hormones aren't helping shit."

He watched her start to tear up and instantly felt a wave of guilt wash over him. It wasn't very often that the unfamiliar feeling reared its ugly head, so he wasn't quite sure how most people dealt with it.

"Fuck!" he groaned. "What did I do? I told you I was worried about you, it's not like it's some completely new information!"

After hitting the dashboard a few times, he turned off the car, got out, and then walked around to the passenger side to offer his open arms to his best friend. At first, she shook her head as she turned away from him, but the second she heard him kick the dirt in frustration, she immediately launched herself at him.

"We're gonna be okay," Puck mumbled. "You got me and Britt and the kid, right? That's plenty. Just forget about whatshisbutt. You got us."

There weren't many words said for the next few minutes until an angry yell from a passing car made the pair realize they were standing in the middle of a busy parking lot. They immediately stopped hugging each other and took a step back with a shaky laugh.

"Just go," Santana ordered. "I'll be fine. I need this job, Puck. Like you said, because of y'know..." she trailed off.

Puck rushed back into the driver's seat, starting the car. "Yeah, I gotta get to the garage to tune up Britt's bikes. She's got a big race coming up," he said stiffly. "Later. Call me if.. I'll talk to you later."

Santana walked back to the restaurant as she used her sleeve to wipe her face. She knew that her night was going to suck six ways from Sunday, but if this was only the beginning, she was well and truly fucked.

* * *

><p>From the moment her girlfriend had come home from the hospital, Brittany began to worry constantly about Santana's well-being. Before she was released, the doctor had made it very clear to the couple that the pregnancy should remain as stress free as possible, for the sake of both mother and child. Since hearing the somber speech, Brittany got a stomach ache or burst into tears when Santana even hinted at being unhappy. The whole idea that something bad could happen was even giving her nightmares about someone taking the baby from them. The fact that the woman she loved would now be going back to work had only made things worse.<p>

Things between the two young women were becoming strained. It was incredibly obvious, especially to their roommate. Puck had heard them argue more in the last week than he had in the last year, and it was beginning to unnerve him. Since Santana was hospitalized, he had watched the usually bubbly girl become nervous and jittery about almost everything. He knew she only had the best intentions, but it was driving him up a wall. It had finally gotten to a point where the two women usually sat in silence, rather than say something that could start an argument. His mother had suggested he talk to Brittany while Santana was at work so she would feel less awkward about things.

As soon as he had walked back in the house, Brittany had launched herself at him and didn't stop hugging him for what seemed like an hour.

"Puck why is she so mad all the time?" Brittany mumbled. "I try and take care of her and the baby and she just won't let me. I only want them safe."

"B, you know she hates to feel weak,"Puck replied. "And after the last month of being forced to sit on her ass in that white room, she her head is a pretty fucked up place right now. Just tell her you love her and the baby. For the first time in forever she's scared shitless."

After half an hour of avoiding any real conversation, Puck decided that he needed to keep Brittany busy across town at his garage to keep her worried mind occupied while Santana was at work. It wasn't going to be an easy task, but he hoped it would give them a chance to talk about what was bugging her.

For the first half hour she had spun in the office chair while he worked on her motocross bikes. She stopped as soon as her stomach started to spin faster than she did. After that she had paced the floor in patterns as she hummed; only stopping to have a short conversation with one of the neighborhood cats who came to visit. She tried to keep herself distracted, but her mind kept drifting to Santana and wondering how she was doing. It was close to dinner time when she finally decided to interrupt Puck's work.

"Can we go home and eat, please?" Brittany asked. "There's nothing to do around here. Please?"

"Just let me finish this bike and we're outta here. Okay Britt?" Puck mumbled. "You got a big race coming up and I need all your shit to be ready. If you place in the top three you'll keep your ranking and bring home a big purse. You need to focus on this Britt."

Brittany nodded. "I know Puck," she said quietly. "Between training for the race and my work study, I'm not going to be around much the next two weeks. I don't want her to feel like I've abandoned her."

Puck set down his tools and pushed himself up from the cement floor. He crossed his arms to stare at the now sad girl. "You have done everything you possibly can,"he reassured her. "You gotta make money, right? You gotta do your work study to graduate, right? She understands this and she's not going to feel abandoned. All the things you do are to get a good job, Britt."

Brittany turned away as she wrapped her arms around herself. She tried to stuff her feelings down and not let the tears win; she had to be strong for Santana. Her bottom lip started to quiver as she exhaled loudly with a hitch interrupting the steady flow of air every few seconds.

"I'm scared,"she whispered. "I'm scared of everything now and I hate it. Before the accident we would take care of each other and things always worked out. Why can't it still be that way? I want that back. I want to feel safe again."

Puck quickly moved to envelop his friend in a tight hug. He wasn't good at expressing his emotions with words, but the power his arms contained did much more. If his best friend wanted to feel safe then he would do that, whatever that took.

They stood there in silence until a growl from Puck's stomach broke, startling them both. Brittany sniffled and let a small giggle slip. She released her arms to pat his stomach.

"Time for dinner punk?" she asked with a wink.

He nodded. "Definitely. Let's get back to the Batcave, find some dinner, and then we can play the new Skyrim."

Brittany blinked a few times in disbelief. She and Puck had a pretty healthy gamer competition going ever since high school but they got cutthroat when it came to RPG games. They would talk smack about each other's characters when they were in game and if they were really pissed, try to distract the other person by any means necessary. The greatest attempt so far had been Puck over dramatically pretending to throw up. He knew that she had a weak stomach when it came to someone being sick, which he still thinks is absolutely hilarious. This is the girl who watched The Walking Dead while she ate spaghetti and didn't so much as flinch at any of the gore she saw on the screen. She had explained to him multiple times that if it was on a movie or TV she knew it was fake, but if she saw it or heard it in real life, it was all over.

A lopsided grin crept across her face, "You got it?" she asked. "You actually are ready to challenge me again? Oh, dear. Mr. Noah Puckerman wants his ass handed to him on a pretty plate by a pretty girl. Get ready for a quick and painful death!"

* * *

><p>Santana sighed with relief as she locked the diner's front door. It had been a crazy night, and that was putting it mildly. She hadn't been able to take much more than a fifteen minute break the entire night, and her whole body was pissed. Every muscle in her body ached from her shoulders down to her feet and to top it off, the baby had started rolling in her belly about a half an hour ago in protest.<p>

She slowly walked over to the service counter and sat down carefully on the padded stool next to the short order cook, Bobby.

"You okay Lopez?" he inquired. "You shoulda taken a longer dinner break so you could eat more than a short stack of pancakes and that piece of bacon you inhaled."

"I know that now," Santana retorted. "Trust me. There isn't a thing that doesn't hurt, and this kid won't stop doing acrobatics. I think that's what hurts the most."

The older man flinched in empathy. "Dude! I don't want you having that baby at work! You need to not push yourself so hard. Jeez, girl!"

"Bobby, I'm not far enough along to have this baby so don't get your Jockey's in a twist over it." she said as she laughed. "I sat on my ass in a hospital and at home for almost six weeks, so that's why I feel like dirt. Got it? I'm gonna do everything the doctors say, so you don't need to worry. I need this job to do that so I'll tell you when I need to eat or sit down. Deal?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's exactly how my wife was," he agreed. "She didn't want to be treated any differently. She was the same person she was before and she never took advantage of it either. You're a good kid Lopez."

"Am I good enough for you to make me two extra sloppy chili cheeseburgers with some of those illegally delicious onion rings?" she purred. "Puck wants one of the burgers, just in case you were worried about me getting some wicked heartburn."

"Only if you clean the grill after I'm done while I finish up out here." he countered.

Santana quickly shook his hand to seal the deal. "Let me go powder my nose and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

The pair parted ways to set about their tasks, but before Santana made it to the bathroom the cell phone in her apron pocket began to vibrate violently. She quickly checked to see who was calling but dropped it when she saw the name.

**Graham Porter**

**_What did that asshat want?_** She hadn't seen him since the night of the accident when he had ordered her to have an abortion. He still had no clue that she had done just the opposite, and she definitely didn't feel compelled to let him know because of that simple fact. The baby still doing little flips inside of her wasn't his at all; he or she was hers and Brittany's and Puck's, so he could just vanish from her life. Hopefully his whole existence just becoming a rare distant memory. After hearing several notifying beeps from her cell phone she picked it up to listen to the message he had left.

_I know you're still knocked up, bitch! Why didn't you just do what I said? Be prepared for shit to get ugly. When that kid is born, my lawyer is going to make sure they take it away from you and you never see it again_.

Santana fell to the tiled floor and began to weep.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: **Dyslexic Heart**

Characters: Brittany/Santana, Puck/Rachel, OCs

Rating: M - Puck and Santana swear like they get paid for it.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the CDs, DVDs and a McKinley Football sweatshirt I got on eBay

A/N: Thank you to Vanille-Strawberry who beta'd this bad boy lickety split! I appreciate it. Check out her fic when you have a chance!

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><p>Santana's heart was racing and she could feel what she imagined was the baby thrashing inside her. She briskly wiped her tears with the sleeve of her shirt, remembering her doctor's warning against over exerting herself as well as the potential issues it could cause. The thought that she needed to calm herself down before any of those things happened scared her even more. Her phone beeped again to let her know she had another message but instead of reading it she threw it across the room as she gritted her teeth.<p>

"Ugh!" she grunted. "You gotta quit kicking me so hard, kid! My chest already feels like it's going to burst, you trying to get an early parole really isn't helping."

For what seemed like the longest five minutes of her life, Santana concentrated on slowing her mind as well as her out of control body. As she gently rubbed circles into her belly, the violent kicks inside her slowly dissipated until they became gentle taps, then the child's movements finally stilled.

"I owe you a puppy for that one," she murmured. "Maybe even a pony, we'll see if we have a backyard big enough before I promise that one. Your other, um, Britt would lose her shit if we got a pony so maybe not. How about a big dog like one of those Great Dane things? Those are practically ponies."

"Santana? I thought we had a deal!" Bobby yelled. "I've got those sloppy burgers for you and your 'hawk dude but my griddle still looks like shit."

The moment he saw her crouched on the floor with a pink blotchy face he rushed to her side, sliding most of the way there to settle within a few inches of the emotional girl.

"I thought you said it was too soon for you to have the baby!" he said with panic in his voice. "I'm gonna call 911, you just sit tight hon."

Santana scowled at him but didn't try to stop him from making the call. The day's events were another intense reminder that someone else was completely dependent upon her and the choices she made, so to say that it scared her shitless and simultaneously pissed her off was an understatement. Being confused was something that didn't happen very often in her life; she was normally very confident in her choices, but ever since she had found out she was pregnant she had lost that level of self-assurance.

"I'm okay, Bobby," she croaked. "Porter just texted me and said he's gonna take it when it's born. No way is he getting this kid!"

Bobby just rolled his eyes as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. "He may have the pedigree and the money but, excuse my French, he's an asshole and I don't know what you ever saw in that kid," he admitted. "We both know he's a douchecanoe so I'm glad you're back with Brittany and Puck."

Santana glanced at her shoes, the weird bump in the carpet and then back to her friend. She was immensely embarrassed about her connection to the guy whose DNA had contributed to the child that was currently gestating inside her. It would be easy to blame her parents for instilling the need to be a high achiever to necessitate her need for the ADHD drug, much too easy.

"He was my dealer, okay?" she whispered. "I needed the Ritalin so I could focus on my exams. I couldn't get anything less than a perfect score or I wouldn't make it into the honors law program, don't judge me."

The whine of the ambulance siren was getting closer as Santana continued to unload the edited details of her relationship on her completely shocked friend. He knew that the pair had an off and on again physical relationship but had clearly no clue as to its beginnings.

"Let me suggest now that you never tell your baby how his or her parents got together, okay?" he replied with a smirk.

"Ugh, that won't be any problem" she groaned. "This baby will be raised by Britt, Puck and me and that asshole won't be involved at all. He's just a sperm donor Bobby, that's it."

The older man squeezed her hand, "It's your decision kid. You know I'll back you up no matter what you choose," he said gently.

The surprising sound of Santana's ringtone blaring from across the room made them both jump and simultaneously gasp. They chuckled for a moment as Bobby went to retrieve it, abruptly realizing that the ambulance had arrived, lighting up the diner and piercing the air with its siren.

"Fuck!" she hissed. "Puck said he'd be here to pick me up! He's gonna lose his shit when he sees that ambulance, he'll know it's here for me."

Bobby flinched then fumbled with the phone to send the young man a text in the hopes he would receive it before he arrived to see, what could only be interpreted, as a major emergency.

Unfortunately, Puck had been sitting in the parking lot with Brittany beside him chewing her nails as they waited for Santana to finish her shift. When the cue that an ambulance was nearby both had started silently hoping that it would pass them by and, when it parked in front of the diner, the already on edge Brittany burst into tears.

"B! She just texted me and said she's okay," Puck murmured. "It must be for a customer. Just give her a call and you'll feel a shitton better."

Brittany sniffled a few times while she rummaged through her purse. "O-okay. It'll make me feel better just to hear it right from her," she stammered.

She pushed the quick dial button on her phone and waited nervously for her girlfriend to answer. On the second ring a much deeper voice than Santana's answered, making her stomach drop then churn violently.

"Where's Santana?" Brittany demanded. "Tell me now!"

Bobby stumbled over his words as he struggled to form a coherent sentence. From his experience, when the young woman was angry it was very difficult to calm her down and if, god forbid, she was angry about something having to do with Santana, you were most assuredly screwed. He looked to the flinching girl next to him for some guidance but only got a shrug.

"It's Bobby, hon. Sh-she's okay Brittany," he stuttered. "She just got a text from that douchebag and it made her feel sick. Santana is just being extra careful with, um, the baby so that's why we called the ambulance. She's okay, I promise."

The ambulance sirens drowned out anything that was said after that point despite Santana's yelling and her nearby friend's panicked flailing. With the baby involved, the four adults knew that the ante had been upped a few notches and erring on the side of caution was always the best idea, but they were still considerably frightened. They all were aware of how difficult things were going to be with Graham Porter stirring up trouble, again.

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><p>Santana lay on her side in the hospital bed trying to get back to sleep. The multiple monitors beeping around her and their annoying sensors attached to her body were not making this an easy task and she was becoming immensely annoyed. Her growling stomach was just adding to the mayhem in her head. Graham Porter was fucking with her emotions with more ease than when they had been somewhat involved, even if it just was for the drugs he could procure.<p>

"San, just get up and push the button and they'll bring you breakfast," Puck said in between yawns. "Seriously. You've been tossing and turning for the last hour and I'm pretty sure I heard a bear make less noise when it was hungry."

Through her squinted eyes, Santana looked to see Puck on a cot looking just about as bad as she felt. He had a black eye as well as a split lip with some blood stains on his shirt. She must have looked pretty shocked because he explained his appearance immediately.

"Your girlfriend flipped her shit when she saw you being loaded onto that ambulance and started swinging," he began. "She clocked me then kept going until I slapped her, in my own defense I felt like an asshole for doing it but that girl has a strong hook!"

Santana groaned as she pulled the sheet over her head. She had heard Brittany's distressed calls among the voices in the hallway soon after they had admitted her but hadn't had the strength to explain the situation and kept her eyes closed, feigning sleep. Of course now she felt even more ashamed of what she had done, but at the time she was just avoiding a confrontation and scolding.

"So what the fuck happened last night?" he demanded. "One minute I'm sitting outside having a nice conversation about how awesome you were to hook me up with one of those heartburn inducing burgers and the next thing I know I'm panicking that you've gone into labor!."

After she peeked her head out of the covers she saw the angry look on Puck's face and decided to add her pillow to the shield over her head. "I got a text from the douchebag," Santana squeaked.

"I thought you driving your car into his frat house would let him know that you were done with his ass," Puck said in between laughs. "I guess not, huh?"

"Stop laughing at me!" she commanded. "He threatened to take my kid and basically put my face on the side of a milk carton. You know how I deal with threats, I knock a few skulls together and people realize their mistakes."

He nodded. "I've certainly been on the receiving end of your Fists of Fury and a few other of your patented love taps."

"And you deserved it! Every time," Santana purred sadistically. "That'll teach people to ignore my rightness."

Puck just shook his head. Even though they had known each other all through school, it still surprised him when she was just an evil laugh away from a movie egomaniac. He also figured that when she became a mother in a few months that it would be just the push to send her over the edge. At the very least, the transformation would be entertaining.

"Let me interrupt this Santana Lopez moment to ask if you're wondering where your girlfriend the future welterweight is?" he interjected.

The once concealed young woman popped her head out from under her hiding place. She had been so wrapped up in her own drama that she hadn't even thought of where Brittany was. Brittany was never too far away, ever, and she always kept in contact so there was no reason to ever worry. When there were motocross races, of course she worried, because someone she loved was doing something dangerous, but in everyday life she didn't think she had a reason to.

"No," she replied quickly. "I'm sure she's at her work study or practicing on the track, knowing her. She should be at home sleeping."

Puck shook his head, "She's downstairs giving blood because she's scared," he muttered. "She knows she's a universal donor so she's trying to forget how deathly afraid she is of needles and donate blood just in case you need some."

Santana pulled the blanket over her head again. The weight of how hard it was going to be as a parent was hitting her hard, yet again. If she had the choice to run out of the room and drive off into the sunset to avoid dealing with the guilt, she would, but halfway through a pregnancy with a child she wanted, that wasn't an option. It would seem that it was time for the badass to put her money where her mouth was and grow the fuck up.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Puck replied dryly.

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><p>The next morning when Santana was released, Brittany was by her side and held her hand as the orderly pushed the wheelchair to where Puck had parked his truck. She could hardly look the grinning blonde in the eyes after what she had learned the day before. Panic attacks weren't something that she had often but if someone who had passed out more than once after just seeing a needle had given blood, there was a good chance she could figure out how to deal with Graham Porter and the emotional tsunami he'd evoked.<p>

"Puck and I did all the grocery shopping and picked up the house so you didn't have to worry about anything," Brittany whispered. "You can just relax since Dr. Gale says you need to work on de-stressing yourself, okay?"

Santana just nodded as she was helped into the vehicle and gently buckled in. She thanked the orderly who awkwardly smiled instead of replying. The uncomfortable feeling that had begun a few hours ago was gradually becoming a full fledged stomach ache with the potential for a wicked migraine. None of them felt like talking so the drive back to their house was primarily silent, only interrupting the quiet with an occasional gentle touch or a tender kiss. It's exactly what Brittany needed with all the words bouncing around in her head, each fighting to work their way out of her mouth in a loud jumble.

Puck was waiting outside, sitting on the front steps, with a bunch of roses in his arms and a grin on his face. He wasn't used to being in such a quiet atmosphere so the sooner Santana got back to her old self, the better. He needed to hear people arguing and laughing and have someone to talk to because when left to talk to himself, it got a little scary. The things he thought about when alone were filled with thoughts of the "five year plan" his mother always asked him about, which lead to him imagining himself and his roommates as parents in the near future. To make a long story short, he was terrified at the prospect of someone that innocent relying on him as well as looking up to him for guidance. After these terrifying thoughts he found a fifth of Jack to drown those thoughts and played the bloodiest video game he had to remind himself that he was still a badass.

Brittany ran around to the other side of the truck to open the door for her girlfriend when they pulled up outside the house. Santana stepped out slowly, putting one foot down followed by the other. They held each other's hand and waited for the snarky comment from the peanut gallery they knew would soon follow.

"You done scaring the shit out of me for a while?" he yelled. "I cleaned the house for you, y'know. It's so clean you could eat off the floor. "

Santana cocked her head to the side then rolled her eyes back for emphasis. After putting her hands on her hips she stuck her tongue out at the now grinning man. He could definitely make her smile when he said the stupidest things, this is why they needed him around. Despite the fact that they could drive each other to drink and throw things and use the word fuck as creatively as a master painter, he was as necessary in her life, just as Brittany was.

"I see you're still an asshole and all those candles I lit in the hospital in the chapel still haven't worked," Santana drawled. "And if you've even _touched _my Fudgecicle stash I will burn all your vinyl."

Brittany's face went white as she began to stutter, "Um, I may have had one or two of them yesterday. I'm really sorry, San! I'll go get some more."

Puck burst out laughing and got up to give the panicked girl a hug. "It's okay B," he said gently. "She's just yanking our chain! There's no way she'd do that to my vinyl either since she loves it so much."

"Not all of your vinyl, dear Mr. Puckerman." Santana snarked. "I'm pretty sure there are a few I wouldn't mind cackling loudly while they burn."

She tried to contain her laughter, but after almost choking, Brittany burst out in gales of giggles. Her hand unlinked with her girlfriends to cover her mouth but a few muffled nose snorts escaped between her fingers. The awkward honking in turn made Santana and Puck break out as well, which only made her laugh even more loudly. Within minutes the trio were sitting on the steps gasping for breath and hugging each other as they wiped their own tears.

"I really missed this stuff with you guys," Brittany murmured. "I was so sad when we all had that big fight and you left and it was just me and San in this big house. It was just awful! It's so much better with all three of us, isn't it?"

"Yup," Santana agreed with a nod. "I'd have to go out looking for trouble if it was just me and Britt. Nobody would have yelling matches with me in the middle of the night or make the best steak in this time zone."

Puck shrugged.

Santana smacked the back of his head, followed by a hard pinch to his inner thigh. He yelped loudly then positioned his hands to return what she had given him but was quickly chastised by a panicked blonde.

"Don't you dare do what I think you're about to do!" she hollered. "I know a few vets who would be happy to neuter you for the right price!"

Puck curled his lip and growled, "Nobody can stop Puckzilla! I am a force of nature, like a tornado!"

A surprisingly loud musical ringtone, followed by several text alert notifications on two of their phones interrupted an award winning bad imitation of a dinosaur and a rare moment of relaxation in the stressful current lives of the little chosen family. They all sighed in unison while their laughter slowly died out. Santana wiped a few laughter induced tears from the corners of her eyes while she checked her inbox and waited for Puck and Brittany to check their own phones.

Several flicks of her finger later, Santana checked to see if she should read the message she had received. If it was from Graham or her mother it would be immediately deleted, most likely followed by some expletive laden muttering. For multiple reasons, she sincerely hoped it wasn't either of them. It was starting to shape up to be a great day so it would be a hideous vortex of suck if it went downhill that fast.

_**Berry**_

Puck looked up from his hushed conversation to see Santana's screwed up face along with her upper lip raised. He gave her the thumbs up then continued to talk to the other person for a few more minutes, occasionally shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. Most of the conversation was inaudible, but towards the end of the conversation his responses became louder and filled with expletive laden exclamations. The yelling didn't last long, thankfully, and turned back into a quieter conversation almost as quickly as it has started.

"Just read the text from Rach and I'll explain the rest, okay?" he murmured. He waited for them to comply, a grin starting to curl his lips. "Seriously. Both of you need to read it."

Brittany soon started to laugh, soon followed by Santana. Both of them high fived each other several times before shifting their attention to the only calm person amongst them.

"Ain't that just a shame that Douchey the Boy Blunder got arrested?" Puck asked. "It's just awful that he sold some drugs to an undercover cop, too. I do have to say that I do love having a girlfriend who works at a TV station, it does have its perks."

"She also listens to her police scanner like she gets paid for it!" Brittany said in between giggles. "Should I feel guilty I don't feel one little bit sad that he got arrested? I can't tell you how many times that perv propositioned me. Asshat."

Santana just stood there with her mouth hanging open, her mind racing as she thought of multiple scenarios that all started with her being hauled into jail along with all the other people listed in Graham's "black book" and given a long sentence and ended with a painful labor after she's forced to have her baby behind bars.

"I am so fucked," she whispered. "He is going to squeal like the douchey pig he is and drag everyone down with him, especially me. Pardon me while I lay down for a moment and try to not lose my shit."

Brittany and Puck both helped her up the stairs and into the living room to the big, overstuffed couch. Santana slowly lowered herself to sit as she brought a cushion closer to hug it tightly. Off the charts terrified seemed to be her new default setting and she did not appreciate it, not one bit. Her life, for the last few months, had seemed to mirror a badly written soap or telenovela her grandmother had subjected her to every summer vacation due to her involvement with one Graham Porter. He needed to fall off the face of the planet before this baby showed up or she was going to lose her mind.

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><p><strong>AN 2: Wow. It has been almost forever since I posted, where has the time gone? Thank you for sticking with me, I appreciate it. I'm also working on Patience is for Amateurs so, fingers crossed, I'll get another chapter of that out soon.**


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